Just a couple of days before the 51st NAACP Image Awards, the civil rights organization had their 16th Annual NAACP Hollywood Bureau Symposium.
Sponsored by Ford, the three act event kicked off at the Simon Wiesenthal Plaza located at the Museum of Tolerance on Feb. 20.
The event started with Karen Boykin-Towns, NAACP Vice Chairman of the National Board of Directors and Chairman of the Image Awards Committee, who introduced two themes for the night, “Pathways to Inclusion” and “She’s Running the Show.”
The first act consisted of LaQuisha Wright, founder of Q Social Media LTD, discussing the impact of social media on the bottom line and the importance of social media to growing talents’ impression on culture.
Wright’s story is one of inspirational instinct and ambition. In the early years of social media, she discerned that the tide was changing for media and culture. On her gut instinct, she started a web development company and later evolved into a social media strategist catering to high profile names, such as Channing Tatum and Chadwick Boseman, to name a few.
The takeaways from her segment was that businesses and personalities should use social media to increase talent value, promote projects, connect with fans and create organic evangelists.
In order to accomplish these initiatives, one would need to set goals, create talent calendars and keep up with industry activities to develop a plan.
After the seminar on social media, the symposium transitioned to the second act of the program, which covered the “Pathways to Inclusion.”
The panel included activist Cristina Pacheco, Participant social impact producer De’Ara Balenger, and the CEO and co-founder of Beneficial State Bank Kat Taylor.
During the discussion, Balenger emphasized the necessity for entertainment content containing African Americans as subject matter should have the responsibility of being conscious and aware, while delivering value with a certain level of standards and authentic truth.
In other words, while everyone should be able to share their authentic experience they should also navigate the stories of black people with a certain level of consciousness.
Taylor emphasized the need for white people to champion the initiative to diversify Hollywood and the content that is produced.
The wife of billionaire Tom Steyer and self-made businesswoman with extensive experience in social justice and environmental well-being, Taylor continually reiterated the need to challenge the status quo and to recognize the disparities in wealth and opportunity.
The third act of the symposium had the theme “She’s Running the Show”, featuring actress Dawn-Lynn Gardner of Queen Sugar, Hidden Empire Film Group filmmaker Roxanne Taylor, Unlimited Possibilities Music & Talent agency CEO Kharmony Fortune, and Macro’s Poppy Hanks.
The third and final act was a very poignant panel that not only reflected on the challenges and highlights of being a woman in the entertainment industry, but also revealed the inner struggles of each panelist as they pursued their dreams.
Fortune shared with the audience that earlier in her career she dealt with depression and suicidal issues. Later, she would find her strength and peace in the practice of meditation, prayer and an unbreakable sense of belief in one self.
Gardner would reveal she also had to persevere through her struggle with self-doubt. She learned over the years to trust herself and the process, even when no one else believes.
Hanks admitted that one thing she would have told her younger self would be to be kinder.
Taylor’s story was significant in that she, like so many others, endured the abuses of the entertainment industry only to come to the realization that she was too good to be mistreated.
Her resolution to the rejection of the industry was to start her own company with the help of her partner and husband Deon Taylor. Her speaking session exemplified exactly what ownership could do for someone who is not accepted into an industry with open arms.
The NAACP holds the annual symposium to promote diversity in the entertainment industry.
The website reads, “The purpose of the Coalition is to advance the cause of diversity in the entertainment industry and create milestones by which to measure future progress in Hollywood that is still used today. Additionally, this historic agreement focused on implementing initiatives across all areas of the Network’s operations. Soon after the signing of the MOU, then-President Mfume became convinced it was the right time to create an official NAACP Hollywood entity to better support and pursue a standing Diversity Initiative. Thus, the NAACP Hollywood Bureau was launched.”
The symposium was full of informative discussions that raised the consciousness of the content creator community and related to the audience by showing the personal side of the owners and CEOs that make major decisions everyday.
To find out more information about, go to the NAACP Hollywood Bureau website.
The 51st NAACP Image Awards take place on Feb. 22 at 7 PM PST, on BET.
